Advice needed: Western itinerary with elderly and young children

[babyblue78]

Hi! We normally book our excursions privately but will book through the ship if it makes sense. We are booked on a Western itinerary on the Dream (Costa Maya, Cozumel, Roatan, Belize) with my 91-yr grandmother, my 70's MIL, my parents in their 50's, my husband and I, along with our 6yr son and 4yr daughter. So, I am having trouble choosing excursions for our mixed group. I wish we could have booked an Eastern but these was the only cruise that worked for our dates at a port we could drive to (airfare was killer for this many people). This cruise is the 1st week of March so I need to get moving on this. :)

 

Here are my thoughts, really looking for some advice as far as accessibility and child-friendliness. The 91-yr is young at heart and likes to follow along, doesn't mind watching while we do something as long as she is there, and has cruised recently so she knows what to expect. She can walk short distances and can manage a few stairs (not a flight), and we will have a folding wheelchair with us. The kids are experienced cruisers, but we can't do very active things like ziplining, cave tubing, etc with them.

 

Costa Maya: Short time in port (7am-2pm), so we were thinking Tropicante? Can my grandmother get to an area near the beach that is not sandy (bar area)? Kid friendly? Other ideas? I see some other nice resorts, but with the short time in port I don't think they would be worth it.

 

Cozumel: Was thinking Mr Sanchos or Paradise Beach, would either be better? What about Chankanaab on our own?

 

Roatan: Thinking about a private tour with Victor Bodden. What should we say we are interested in doing? I think the kids might enjoy the monkeys, would the Half Moon resort or West End Village work for our group?

 

Belize: We are planning to leave grandma on the ship here, she has no interest in tendering and the excursions aren't very wheelchair friendly. My mother may stay on ship with her... The rest of us are planning the Altun Ha and River Wallace tour through Carnival (since tendered port, etc I understand this is a good port to stick with ship excursions).

 

Advice appreciated!

[ejmdoes]

Mr Sanchos is great, we were there last week with our children, ages 9,8,7. We went with the all inclusive, and definitely got our money's worth. They have a really nice, big covered area with tables and chairs and then a beach area with loungers, and tables. Snorkeling equipment is included and we saw lots of cool fish, they have an area where they have sunk statues for the fish and that is fun to look at. Kayaks are also included in the all inclusive, but we never used them. We had a great day, service was excellent and the facility was clean.

[brilliantseas]

Costa Maya: Look up Maya Chan. It is an all-inclusive beach that receives great reviews. They have free ocean kayaks and beach cruiser bikes, as well as snorkeling gear for the younger ones, and a beautiful beach for the adults.

 

OR take the $2 bus ride downtown and go to the public beach. All of the restaurants and bars along the malecon have their own little section of beach and will allow free all-day use of their tables and beach chairs if you buy drinks from them. Some also have free ocean kayaks and will offer snorkeling and jet ski rentals from their beaches. I recommend the Krazy Lobster beach. New beach chairs, very polite servers, free ocean kayaks, discounts on jet skis if you eat/drink there ($30/half hour for their customers vs. $45/half hour for people who walk down from other areas of the beach), and the cheapest beer you'll find on the beach. 10 "mini" bottles in a bucket for $10. The mini bottles are 7 ounce bottles of Corona, so its roughly equivalent to about $1.80/beer if you were drinking normal size bottles.

 

Roatan: Victor Bodden would be a good choice, or just go to Mahogany Beach for the afternoon. There is good snorkeling just to the left (if you are facing the ocean) of the dock at the far end of the beach, but you have to bring your own equipment. They also have some shopping at the port and a few restaurants/beach barbeques/bars along the beach. The bar at the far end of the beach has live music, volleyball courts, and has a whole fried fish special for about $16. The best meal deal though is the $6.95 jerk chicken platter near the entrance of the beach area.

 

Cozumel: Paradise Beach will be nice for the kids, but might not have a lot to offer the adults. The beach is beautiful, as is the pool, and the kids will have a great time on the inflatables in the water. The beach tends to get crowded by late morning if there are several ships in port, which can be disturbing if all you are trying to do is relax. If you don't mind spending a few extra bucks on a cab, or want to rent a car for the day, check out Punta Morena on the other side of the island. It is about a 25-30 minute ride from the port, but it is absolutely beautiful and uncrowded, unless you go on a Sunday, when the locals go. The water on the East side of the island is a little too rough for swimming, but Punta Morena has a beautiful, uncrowded beach, as well as a pool, hot tub, restaurant, and beach bar. Check out the pictures in my Carnival Dream review from 12/8/12. It is beautiful!

 

Belize: Not many options here. Cave tubing, ziplining, horseback riding, or a trip to the ruins on the mainland, or snorkeling on the barrier islands. I you do want to snorkel, I recommend EcoToursBelize.com and the Goff's Caye snorkel excursion. Just be sure to take the early excursion as they operate on "island time" and were a little late getting us back last time, causing us to almost miss the last tender back to the ship. If you take the early excursion, this shouldn't be a problem.

[babyblue78]

Thanks for the advice! I would love to do Maya Chan, but with such a short time in port it seems like a waste. Glad to hear that Mr Sanchos has some covered areas, that may work for grandma.

[kitty9]

The specially built area in Costa Maya that has the pool, shops and restaurants is fantastic !!! I'm disabled, and was able to access the pool with no problem. My little Goddaughter loved the area and was able to play in the sand and then go into the pool. We purchased soft drinks and water for her and everything was SO much fun. And yes, you do have a short time there, so I would highly recommend staying in the "town" area and enjoying the pool area. Plus, the do have a dolphin area right there. Everyone might enjoy that.

[babyblue78]

Interesting, didn't realize that the port area had the pools, is it maybe similar to the port area at Grand Turk??

 

At this point I have reached out to Nohoch Cay (preferred due to lower cost and kids free) and Maya Chan (has an opening) in Costa Maya. I have requested information on the private tour with Victor Bodden in Roatan (Monkey Business, West Bay beach, sight-seeing), and plan to reserve the Altun Ha and River Wallace tour in Belize sans grandmas who will enjoy the day on the ship. Planning Mr. Sanchos or Chankanaab in Cozumel. Starting to come together now! :)

[#1TravelMom]

This is our favorite itinerary. I'm sure you will love it.

I'd choose Tropicante in Costa Maya. Steve will take great care of you. He has a great menu for an authentic Mexican lunch - very reasonable prices. His restaurant is immaculate(very important to me). Jorge is great with the kids - they will love it there.

 

Roatan- we just love Ronystours.com Rony is the owner and you will not meet a more friendly person. He will customize a tour to make sure you all have a memorable day. He can take you to play with the monkeys and then to a fabulous beach. I highly recommend him. If you send one in your party up the hill to meet him - he can drive down to get everyone else.

 

Belize - the ruins are great - this will be a wonderful experience for your children.